3. Why I chose this scene
Panโs Labyrinth is one of most famous movies that is known for its
misleading advertisement in Korea. Not only that but also the
significance of the movie lies within the movie. The movie represents
different stories within one story. It is a fantasy, but a realistic one. It
shows a hope of a girl who is dreaming of a fantasy but it shows what the
reality is by destroying her hope. I specifically chose this scene because
this scene is one of the most effective scenes that shows the reality of
the protagonist.
4. Mise-en-scene
The close up shot of the mural that shows the Pale
man and him killing young children gives the
audience the background information of what the
character is. The character represents misery and
this mural also creates suspense and horror in this
scene. The mural also alludes Ofeliaโs trouble that
she will face very soon.
This shot is a part of Ofeliaโs task. She is forbidden
to eat the food, but due to her severe
environment, she eventually eats a grape. In this
shot, the director shows the desire of Ofelia and
how harsh she has been living. Also by placing the
food in front of the Pale Man, the director implies
that the Pale Man only consumes little children and
not normal food, which also leads to another
implication. Ofelia is in danger.
5. Mise-en-scene
The close up shot of childrenโs shoes supports also
shows the cruelty and misery of the Pale Man. This
shows how much children he has eaten and show
how frighten Ofelia is as well.
This is one of the most suspenseful shots in this
scene. The audience can see how unstable Ofelia is
and in the background the Pale Man is chasing
after her. He is very close to her and due to her
consecutive mistakes, Ofelia is very close to being
captured. Standing up on the chair also shows the
emotion of Ofelia. She is petrified and so is the
audience.
6. Lighting
The lighting is used to show contrast between Ofeliaโs reality and fantasy. Ofeliaโs room is very dark with
almost no light, but in the Pale Manโs lair, the lighting is relatively brighter. This directly tells the
audience that Ofeliaโs reality is miserable. Her fantasy is not so beautiful as well, but it is at least better
than her reality. Also the lights in these shots mostly focus the Pale Man and his food. Ofelia is
frightened but at the same time, interested by the food and the Pale Man. She is scared of him, but her
desire to eat the food overrules the horrification. These are all shown by the lighting by focusing on the
focal point. The overall lighting is very dark, which effectively shows the darkness of this atmosphere.
7. Sound
There are very few spoken lines in this scene. The
sound in the scene is mostly sounds that are
created from objects. In this close up shot of
sandglass, the sound of time ticking makes the
scene much more mysterious and it also gives
some suspense as well. There are also some scenes
where Ofeliaโs breath was emphasized to show her
emotions.
This shot of the Pale Manโs hand effectively uses
the sound. It creates tension, horror and thrill as
the Pale Man moves his hands and gets ready to
chase Ofelia. Also, because the scene had no
background music, this shot is designed to alarm
the audience with the sound that suddenly
appears. Also the sound that the Pale Man makes
the shot much more eerie and horrifying as well.
8. Costumes and Props
The main aspect of this scene that
made it very special is the costumes
and the props that were used. The
costumes that Ofelia is wearing shows
the time period that film is. Also the
color of her outfit has effectively
shown her dream and hope to escape
the reality. On the other hand, the Pale
Man has used reddish color with pale
skin color. This shows a juxtaposition
between Ofeliaโs costumes
and the Pale man. The props
in this scene such as the keys
and small doors with
keyholes give a fantasy-like
environment in this scene.
The colors and the patterns
used are very antique and
hence gives the audience
more
of
a
myth-like
atmosphere.
9. โPale Manโ
The Pale Man is a very
memorable character that
represents evilness and cruelty.
It destroys Ofeliaโs fantasy and
alludes the audience that there
are no differences between the
reality and the fantasy of Ofelia.
Either way, Ofelia is living in a
miserable world. The symbolism
within this character is very
important. Not only it shows
Ofeliaโs feelings and her world,
but also represents Fascism.
Pale man shows the brutality of
that period.
